I started a community organisation working on a variety of issues, from keeping girls in school by fighting early marriage, educating people about rituals and traditions – including hyenas – which put girls at risk, and teaching about HIV/Aids, unwanted pregnancies and reproductive health.

All the while, something was bubbling up inside me, and I knew that what had happened to me in my life was happening to other girls and women.

My community organisation continued to educate people but it was hard, particularly when we were challenging traditions such as the use of hyenas [the male in a sexual initiation ceremony] and wife inheritance.

…But some elders and religious leaders listened, and some have stopped the practice in their villages.

In my community work I soon learned more about the barriers for girls in school. If families are going through a financial rough patch, they’re more likely to pay fees for boys rather than for girls. If girls drop out of school, the family is eager to marry them off rather than have them sit around the house all day. And many girls miss class because they can’t afford sanitary towels.

To try to solve this problem, one of the main things my organisation is doing is distributing eco-friendly reusable washable sanitary pads and pants. They come as part of a kit including pants with clips so that they stay in place and a waterproof bag, in case girls need to change them in school. They are biodegradable, but cost effective and durable – they last for five years.

Natasha Annie Tonthola: My fight against Malawi’s ‘hyenas’ – BBC News

 

More about her programs:
Free Range Chick Support Dignity Project
Dignity Project